Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), expressed his concern over the Sangrur hooch tragedy, highlighting its implications for both Punjab and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district of Sangrur. He called for a judicial inquiry into the incident while addressing reporters during the Moga and Dharamkot stops of his Punjab Bachao Yatra, which garnered significant support from rural and urban communities. Farmers joined the Yatra in large numbers with tractors, while urban shopkeepers greeted Badal with flowers.
Badal attributed the hooch tragedy to governance failures and alleged collusion between legislators and illegal liquor and drug traffickers, particularly targeting AAP legislators. He criticized the SDM-level probe ordered into the incident, arguing that such a junior officer could not uncover the masterminds or hold complicit politicians accountable. Badal insisted on a judicial investigation and urged the registration of murder cases against those responsible.
Accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of neglecting the plight of common people, Badal claimed that Mann was preoccupied with serving his political mentor, Arvind Kejriwal, and diverting Punjab’s resources to AAP’s electoral campaigns in other states. He criticized Mann’s handling of previous crises faced by farmers and accused him of indifference to the suffering caused by the hooch tragedy in Sangrur.
Badal called on Punjabis to oust AAP from the state, framing it as essential to liberate Punjab from Delhi’s “plunderers.” He touted SAD’s track record of development, peacekeeping, and social welfare, pledging to continue these efforts if re-elected. Other SAD leaders accompanying Badal on the Punjab Bachao Yatra included district president Amajit Singh Landeke and Tirath Singh Mahla.
